“I hear you have bronchitis, you have a cold,” he said, as Carly coughed. “Everybody’s sick, this is the worst flu in history. Guess what … you gave the best vocal of the last two days, the best vocal of the top 24!”

To that, Carly responded: “Sick is not an excuse.”

Or is it?

Tell us: Is having the flu, bronchitis or a cold an excuse for a lackluster performance? Should the judges — or the voting public — take that into consideration?

Frank Micelotta/American Idol 2008/Getty

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